Mexico City Leads World Cup 2026 Investments with Over US$1.3 Billion
Mexico City, June 5, 2026 – Mexico City is spearheading infrastructure investments for the FIFA World Cup 2026, with an allocation exceeding 23.122 billion pesos (US$1.3 billion). These projects are part of a broader portfolio of over 2,000 completed or ongoing works, designed to create a lasting legacy in mobility, transport, connectivity, and urban spaces across the three host cities: Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara. The social component of the tournament also extends these works to municipalities nationwide through the construction and rehabilitation of community sports fields.
CDMX Concentrates the Largest Investment
Mexico City is the primary focus of World Cup-related investment. The capital’s government announced that works linked to the tournament amount to 23.122 billion pesos (US$1.3 billion). Clara Brugada, the Head of Government, unveiled the FIFA World Cup 2026 Works Transparency Platform, a digital tool that will provide real-time updates on progress, investment amounts, funding sources, and photographic evidence of the projects.
“We are fulfilling one of the commitments we made for the World Cup. We are presenting this transparency platform for works in the context of this great sporting event. All are structural works with permanent benefits for citizens,” Brugada stated. She emphasized that the capital is not allocating resources to temporary infrastructure. “We are not dedicating a single peso to works that will disappear with the World Cup. We are investing in infrastructure that will remain and improve the lives of millions of people.”
Transparency on the Agenda
The platform, launched on June 1, will progressively incorporate information from over 2,000 projects executed in the capital. The local government’s objective is to offer an interactive and accessible portal to monitor the use of public resources and ensure transparency in investments across mobility, water, transport, security, public spaces, and urban equipment. Brugada affirmed that the World Cup served as a catalyst for strategic projects in the city. “What we seek with this platform is to offer clear accounts and transparent resources, strengthening citizen trust,” she said.
According to Juan Pablo de Botton, the capital’s Secretary of Administration and Finance, out of the total 23.122 billion pesos, 7 billion are for hydraulic works; 5.764 billion for mobility and public transport, including the Metro, Light Rail, and Trolleybus, in addition to the incorporation of 17 new light rail trains; and 2.6 billion for the repaving program. Among the capital’s works, De Botton highlighted 250 kilometers of repaving, equivalent to 3.5 million square meters; 334 kilometers of lighting on Safe Paths; 634 water and drainage projects; the rehabilitation of 316 sports fields; the comprehensive improvement of 500 public schools; intervention in 104 public markets; and over 100 kilometers of electromobility infrastructure.
Enhanced Mobility
In urban mobility, Mexico City completed the modernization of the Taxqueña-Xochimilco Light Rail, known as “Ajolote,” with an investment of 2.4 billion pesos. Additionally, 2.4 billion pesos were allocated to the Collective Transport System Metro, of which 1.6 billion were for comprehensive maintenance and 833 million for the renovation of 20 stations. The city also reported over 100km of electromobility infrastructure, including the Ruta Cero or Ruta del Chapulín, which will connect the Chapultepec Metro with Ciudad Universitaria, as well as the Universidad-Huipulco route. These works are complemented by the modernization of the Huipulco and Tasqueña CETRAMs, the rehabilitation of Xochimilco piers, the renovation of the Zona Rosa, the transformation of Calzada de Tlalpan, and the construction of the Elevated Park on that roadway. For roads, the capital government reported the paving of over 250 linear kilometers, equivalent to the distance between Mexico City and Querétaro, with an investment exceeding 2.6 billion pesos.
Airports and Transport
One of the most significant federal projects is the first phase of remodeling the Mexico City International Airport, with an investment of 6.5 billion pesos. The works included interventions in the terminals, operational improvements, and measures to streamline passenger and aircraft movement during the tournament. In parallel, the federal government highlighted the launch of the “Felipe Ángeles” Train on the Buenavista-AIFA section, featuring seven stations, four trains, and departures every 30 minutes, as part of strengthening airport connectivity in the metropolitan area. However, users have reported complaints about delays in their transfers. Drills and tours were also conducted at key airports, including Guadalajara, Monterrey, Cancún, AIFA, and AICM, to test migration processes, security, and attention to sports delegations. During the playoff matches held in Guadalajara and Monterrey on March 26 and 31, migration processing times ranged from 20 to 25 minutes in Guadalajara and 15 minutes in Monterrey, according to Gabriela Cuevas, the federal government’s coordinator for the World Cup 2026 works.
Monterrey Strengthens Its Infrastructure
In Monterrey, World Cup preparations focused on strengthening metropolitan mobility and urban connectivity. Nuevo León accelerated the construction of new Metro lines 4 and 6, and incorporated new urban transport units to meet anticipated demand during the tournament and improve the system’s capacity beyond the event. The Monterrey stadium, known as Gigante de Acero, completed specific adaptations required by FIFA, mainly in turf quality, high-speed internal connectivity, and hospitality areas. The city’s international airport also participated in federal pre-operation exercises, with tests of migration processing, attention to delegations, and coordination among authorities at all three levels of government.
Guadalajara Bets on Urban Renewal
Guadalajara concentrated its efforts on urban renewal, road connectivity, and sports adaptations. Among the main interventions is the renovation of the Glorieta de La Minerva, conceived as a space with safer pedestrian crossings, in addition to the comprehensive paving of the corridor to the airport via the Carretera a Chapala. The Guadalajara stadium, known as Akron, completed FIFA-required adaptations in connectivity, turf, and hospitality areas. Like Monterrey, the capital of Jalisco was used as a venue for operational tests during the intercontinental playoffs, which allowed for validating delegation processing times and airport coordination mechanisms.
The Social World Cup Expands the Legacy
Beyond the World Cup venues, the federal government is promoting the Mexico 2026 Social World Cup program as a strategy to leave sports infrastructure in communities across the country. President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that the objective is to leverage the tournament to strengthen sports activity. “May the social activities we have done around football remain,” she said. The program includes the construction and rehabilitation of 4,208 courts nationwide through coordinated actions between federal agencies, states, and municipalities. The Secretariat of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development is executing 1,200 courts, of which 799 are new constructions and 401 are rehabilitations, with a budget of 2 billion pesos. These works are distributed across 31 entities and more than 500 municipalities.
More Courts Reinforce Community Infrastructure
According to federal information, the states are participating with 2,174 rehabilitated courts, while other agencies are adding additional interventions. The Ministry of Tourism contemplates 86 football sports fields in host states; Bienestar reports 448; Sedatu, 1,200; the entities, 2,174; and the IMSS, 50. In the breakdown by entity, Nuevo León stands out with 515 rehabilitated courts; Mexico City, with 455; and Jalisco, with 101, between completed and in progress. The program also includes the creation of World Cup murals. The entities report 1,326 murals in progress or completed, while Imjuve coordinates an additional 4,645 murals, for a total of 5,971 interventions.
Beyond the Tournament
The Mexican government’s bet is that the World Cup will serve as a catalyst for public and private investment in permanent infrastructure. In Mexico City, the emphasis is on mobility, water, public transport, repaving, urban space, and security. In Monterrey, the priority is the expansion of mass transport. In Guadalajara, the works focus on urban renewal and road connectivity. The challenge will be to demonstrate that the projects executed for the tournament will have operational continuity and adequate maintenance once the competition concludes. For now, the FIFA World Cup 2026 Works Transparency Platform is emerging as the main mechanism for public monitoring of an investment portfolio that, in the capital alone, exceeds 23.122 billion pesos. In Brugada’s words, “the World Cup is enjoyed, we are ready to receive it, it will be remembered, but the works remain.”
Source: bnamericas.com
